Car Engines are Getting Smaller, But Fuel Economy is Growing Bigger

Motorola’s first handheld phone in 1973: big; the latest iPhone 4S: small. The first computers in the mid-1900s fit in a whole room; the latest computer tablets fit in the palm of your hand. The current technological trend towards shrinking in size is also taking place under the hoods of cars.

Reports indicate that modern car engines are shrinking as their overall efficiency increases. Fuel economy in cars continues to improve over the years, attaining well over 40 mpg for hybrids and subcompacts. What exactly is pushing engines to become smaller, and why?

This shrinking trend is living proof that the old “bigger is better” adage is surely a thing of the past. Of course, in some cases size really does matter, in the case of equipment like an earth mover or tunneling rig. Compact cars, though, with their smaller and more efficient engines, do the job their proportionately larger counterparts do, which is to transport people, albeit at much less expense.

Reduction in an engine’s overall size and internal displacement allows its use in compact cars, reducing overall weight and fuel consumption. Engine parts have correspondingly become smaller, if not totally excluded from the engine as a result of modern design. The driving force in these trends is the rising cost of fuel, and the desire to reduce the negative impact cars have on the environment.

Reducing the engine displacement, and the overall weight of the car allows it to drive further and faster at the expense of less fuel. Most car dealers Edmonton buyers go to now sell modern cars with redesigned engines which are smaller than their precursors. Today, in Edmonton, it costs 99 cents per liter to tank up. Gassing up a full-size Ford Escape, which has a 62.5-liter tank capacity, will cost you nearly $62 (Canadian dollars).

There are other reasons for the shrinking trend of engines such as cutting production costs and reducing the sticker price of new cars. Yet, there’s no denying the fact that the modern world is heading toward a future where “small” is the next big thing. With any luck, auto sales Edmonton dealers should get into this fast lane.

Go to Time.com and click on the Money tab for more information on the shrinking phenomenon in the car industry. The next time you visit the car dealerships Edmonton has may be in an era when engines aren’t as bulky anymore.